Here is why 'Minecraft' — the game Microsoft paid $2.5 billion for — is so incredible

"Minecraft" is this generation's Super Mario. It's an
international phenomenon. Unless you've been living on the
moon, you probably already know these things.

It's on computers, phones, tablets, and game consoles. It's at
your local mall, occupying kiosks with plushies and T-shirts.
There's a semiannual convention ("MineCon") and an education
initiative that's got it in schools (MinecraftEDU).

But why is it so popular? We're talking about a game that looks
like this:

Microsoft

Keep in mind that there are games coming out on modern video game
consoles that look like this:

CD Projekt RED

And what do you actually do in "Minecraft?" Build stuff? Perhaps
you've seen some of the
incredible worlds people have created from within
"Minecraft," like this one of King's Landing from "Game of
Thrones":

YouTube

Not bad! So how does a world go from a flat, grassy meadow to a
pixelated re-creation of Westeros' capital city? The answer to
that question is half of the reason people love "Minecraft":
creation. The castles above were built block-by-block.

It's a system for fitting pieces together to create something —
sometimes amazing somethings — from nothing. "Minecraft" provides
endless building blocks and a blank canvas. It's up to you to
create something incredible, or silly, or referential, or
whatever, using the tools it provides. The tools are blessedly
user-friendly, as are the systems for employing those tools.

The most basic unit of measurement is a single block. This is a
dirt block:

Microsoft

This is the literal and figurative building block of the game.
You start with nothing but fists and a massive, unexplored world,
ripe for creation. You walk forward; you punch the ground below
you and it begins to crack. Why is it cracking? And suddenly,
POP! Where the ground once was is now an empty, square space. It
looks like this:

Your browser does not support the video tag.
Microsoft

The word "minecraft" is a portmanteau of two verbs: to mine and
to craft. Punching a dirt block and retrieving a dirt block to
build with is the first verb — the mining. When you start
"Minecraft," it's the first thing you should do.

Once you've retrieved enough blocks, the second thing you'll need
to do is craft: combine the resources you've mined to create more
complex tools. "Mining" for wood (punching a tree) enables you to
create basic tools. Those basic tools enable you to mine more
complex resources, which enable you to create more complex items
and tools.

It's this highly satisfying cycle of mining resources and
creating from those resources that draws in millions of players
around the world. And that's the most basic level of "Minecraft."

The other side of "Minecraft," sadly not encompassed in the
game's title, is exploration. Every time you start a new world in
"Minecraft," it's unique. That is, levels are randomly generated
based on a set of parameters. There are some constants:

You can only dig so deep below the world's surface before
hitting bedrock

The world that spawns always has stuff to
discover, whether it's crazy jungles or mountains or
underground caves or whatever

Yes, there are enemies. You've almost certainly seen the iconic
"Creeper" at your local Hot Topic. This guy (or lady?):

Microsoft

These green, exploding monsters are exclusive to the "Survival"
mode of "Minecraft" — if you just want to create ad infinitum,
there's a "Creation" mode that enables exactly that. No day/night
cycle. No enemies. No mining, if you don't want to mine. Just
endless creation.

But be warned: If you don't choose "Survival" mode, you'll never
experience the joy of discovering a labyrinthine cave network by
accident, full of rare resources (diamonds!) and life-threatening
lava. You'll never know the thrill of narrowly escaping a mob of
spiders, zombies, and Creepers into the ramshackle hut you've
composed just in time to hide for the night. You'll never know
the heartbreak of a Creeper sneaking up and exploding the side of
your carefully constructed homage to John Travolta's face. Up
your nose with a rubber hose, Creeper.

So forget all the hype. Forget the billions
Microsoft spent buying "Minecraft" from its creator, Markus
"Notch" Persson and his team at Mojang.

"Minecraft" is so incredibly successful and popular because it's
delightful. It's relaxing. It's joyful. It's goofy. It's an
amazing interactive canvas to build anything you want.

Yeah, you're "just punching blocks and placing them in different
combinations." And here's a re-creation of Frank Lloyd Wright's
famous "Fallingwater" home:

You can play "Minecraft" online with friends, with strangers, or
all by your lonesome. Some of the more complex worlds were
created by whole teams of people working for months. Westeros
wasn't built in a day, you know!

Personally, I prefer the relaxing experience of playing it alone
while listening to podcasts. The game's music is a mix of soft,
atmospheric melodies that can be easily kept at low volume,
leaving me to concentrate on the project at hand.

Unlike so many other games, "Minecraft" enables an outlet for
artistic expression — however shallow — that makes time spent in
its worlds feel meaningful.